27 April 2010

Happy Birthday Samuel!

My boy Samuel turns 5! 

He has been asking for Transformer cake. 

I say, that's a good idea boy, why don't we shelve that idea at the mo' and let mommy's kungfu get up to like..1000 notches, then we'll speak again, shall we? 

He nodded.  Sometimes this boy can be real easy and obliging.   But don't get me started on the times when he is not.   I don't like it.  You won't like it either.  So, just let's stop here.

While we are planning his big birthday celebration, I felt under pressure to give him some cuppies to bring to his kindy so that his teachers and classmates could gather around during break time and do the obligatory birthday song and candle blowing and good wishes rendering.  Afterall, it was his actual day birthday. 

I made chocolate cupcakes.  I heard from somewhere kids love chocolate flavor anything.  Is it true?  

Well, I was never the normal kid, I would probably have asked for soya bean flavor cupcake if my mom were to offer to bake some...  I won't know would I?!

Chocolate moist cupcakes.   So there.  They all domed a little I had to chopped off their dainty heads. 


A few days before, I made colourful sugarpaste decorations and stuck them on.


I iced them with mango flavoured buttercream. 

Here, standing proud and erect, each one demanded to be picked!  here..here PICK ME!!..PICK ME!!!


or PICK ME!!!


Birthday Boy, just awoken doing the obligatory pose with his birthday cupcakes. 


Packed 'em in a box and ready to go to school!

Last I heard of 'em, they are doing well in various tummy.  YUM!


13 April 2010

Happy Birthday Aunty Choon Hua!

Lea, whose wedding cupcakes I made, gave me the honour to make a birthday cake for her lovely mom.   Since they are not a fan of overtly sweet desserts and since I am on a mousse cake streak, fatally, I suggested a mango mousses layer cake for her mom.   Lea gamely went with my idea. 

But little did I know that the mousse cake was to travel 5 hours back to Lea's hometown down south.  Needless to say, the mousse cake collasped but not to the point unconsumable.  Apparently, in keeping up with the cheer, the sporting family went ahead and dug into the mango mash with spoons and declared it yummy! all the same.

Lesson : Ask question, don't assume! (oh gosh!  I do feel like an imcompetent a** and was glad that Lea was good-natured over the whole issue.. :) )

Aunty Choon Hua, I am sorry that you did not get to see the actual cake,  here's some pixs - hope this will make up part of your birthday experience!)

Now, mousse cake is a very sensitive cake with real mango puree mixed into whipped cream and set to firmness with gelatine.   It need to be refrigerated.  At most, you can leave it at room temperature for less than an hour!




I had to keep sending it back to the fridge each time I worked on it.    The mousse will melt if left out too long.  Rather time consuming at this stage. 


The cake is covered with mango buttercream.  Double ZIIIING  of mango!


I love star tips.  Each star is impeccable!


Hands will ache and tired out very soon.   Make sure you rest your hands in between fridge time.


Leanne likes a garden theme.


I used pastel colours because it's for a lady!


View from the top. 






Close up.  Rainy days threaten to soften the flowers.  But they turned out alright!



Hope you enjoy!

01 April 2010

Happy Birthday Mommy!

My mom-in-law birthday, I made passion fruit puree sandwiched in between 2 cake layers.

Simples as it is, I believe the passion fruit will deliver the punch! 

I did a passion fruit curd.  It so yummy, I had to restrain myself from spooning spoons after spoons of curd into my mouth!


I left the sides bare.  Let the curd oozes over.  Simplicity at its best.


Some sugarpaste decorations.  


Contrasting colours.


Happy birthday Mommy!


You know what people say, minimal is maxima! 

Happy Birthday Jun Hui!

Camy's little boy turns two! 

He loves train.   The more the better. 

Hence, a train cake is it.

Number 2 is fashioned by a train track.   The whole cake is decorated with star tipped icing. Gives dimension to the cake, no?


Jun Hui is excited over these 3D trains.  Thank God these dried in time, it was raining intermittently during the week.  Sugar paste and rain - not in good terms. ever.


I put tracks round the base of the cake and stuck 2D train and coaches at the side.   The yellow coach.


The orange coach.


The Train.  




Couldn't have done it without the help of this girl.  Happy to let you have her great assistance for the right price!  haha!


Happy Birthday Kien Min!

This is the first time I am trying out a mousse layer cake.   It is for Kien Min, our good trusty friend who turned 30 on 1st April!  HAPPY BURPDAY! 

I have always love the lightness yet not coy texture of mousse compare to a straight buttercream.   The tricky part of this cake is the gelatine used to set the mousse.  I researched different recipes on the net.   Too little gelatine, your mousse won't set properly, too much, you get a solid piece of rubbery gel.   hmmm....but I love such challenges! 

I thought and thought - what would be the best flavour of the mousse.  My colleague mentioned that how she love the fragrant sweet smell of passion fruit.  That the smell lingers long on her fingers after she had the fruit.. and that settles it!  What better way to flavour your first mousse cake other than the delicious passion fruit.  Thanks CPY for sponsoring the fruits too!

Let's get down to work!

First, get the layer cake done.  This is the most well behaved cake.  All flat and baked just right, not one bit overdried! 



Look how fine the crumbs were.  I can imagine how nice the texture feels in my mouth already!


Next, up the passion fruit mousse.  Somehow the intense yellow of the passion fruit don't quite show through.  The passion fruit puree was mixed into the egg whites first, then incorporated into stiff whipped cream.   For 3 cups of mousse, I experimented with 2 tbsp of gelatine.  Hope this works!



I used a springform pan to hold up all 3 layers of cake alternating with layers of mousse.  It stands tall.  The sides is not smooth.  I do not have enough mousse to fill the sides, unfortunately.


Look how nice it is when the layers are cut.  The sponge cake is delicately soft and moist with the gelatine holds up the mousse rather well!


I would do a few things different next time.  I would probably trim an inch off each cake layers and encased the whole cake in mousse.  I am already excited!